Tropicana's new Vice President

The CEO of Tropicana Casinos & Resorts, Inc., William J. Yung, III, announced that the new Senior Vice President of the casino will be Kevin Preston. His job will be to oversee the operations of Tropicana's 14 gaming properties in the U.S. and Caribbean, and he will start his job in June.

Yung said that Preston is the right man for the job because he’s a successful manager who understands the casino operations, and also because he has the required corporate level experience.

Preston's previous job was that of a senior vice president of gaming for Wild Rose Entertainment, Inc, and there his duties were to oversee the operations of two Iowa-based casinos. He also was in charge of managing the acquisition of the Mississippi Belle II.

He also was general manager of Lakeside Casino Resort in Iowa and the Mark Twain Casino in Missouri from 2001 to 2005, and in Operations at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana from 1999-2001.

Preston who is now 36 begun his gaming career in 1992 at Harrah's as an intern at Harrah's Joliet Casino. He has a degree in industrial organizational psychology and business management after he graduated from the University of Saint Frances in Joliet.

He started to work full time in 1993 and he proved to be very successful in what he did. He soon received more responsible positions, and eventually he was named operations manager overseeing processes, casino budgets and operations at Harrah's casino in Las Vegas.

There he received Chairman Awards/Stars of Excellence for leadership, cost saving and revenue generation. Now he serves on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Gaming Association and is a former director of the Iowa Restaurant and Hospitality Association.